Korean police officers' attitude toward the efficacy of mini-police stations

Abstract

In the era of community policing, a mini-police station system gained popularity and was adopted in many countries in order to improve relationships with citizens and decentralize the police. The very similar system in South Korea, which existed as the core division since the establishment of the modern Korean Police, however, stimulated controversy over the effectiveness of preventing crime and improving the relationship between citizens and the police. Unfortunately, an empirical study was not conducted to examine the effectiveness of the mini-police station system in South Korea, despite the significance of the issue. As a first step, the current study examined Korean police officers' perception of the efficacy of police mini-stations. Results showed that a majority of Korean officers believed that mini-police stations played crucial and positive roles. Regarding determinants of the perceived efficacy of a mini-police station, individual and organizational factors (except rank and unit assigned) were not significantly related to officers' attitude toward the efficacy of a mini-police station. Instead, attitudinal factors were found to be significant predictors of the perceived efficacy of a mini-police station. Policy implications and directions for future research are discussed.